Show of hands: who likes to spice things up in the kitchen? Whether you add a little heat to your creations with a dash or two of hot sauce or a helping of chiles, we know our Scoville-scale-scaling sisters are totally out there. Now with football season in full swing and fall’s chilly weather upon us, we thought it was about time we brought you a collection of recipes that are sure to win you some points and warm you up on game day. Enjoy these 14 jalapeño popper recipes. They’re the perfect fiery food for the jalapeño lovin’ guy or gal!
1. Jalapeño Mozzarella Sticks: Just add some buffalo sauce for dipping and you’ll have a streamlined take on a classic appetizer sampler platter. Sounds good, right? (via Life’s Ambrosia)
2. Jalapeño Popper Cornbread Muffins: Jalapeño-studded batter surrounds a pocket of cream cheese to create these out-of-the-ordinary cornbread muffins. (via Sweet Peas and Saffron)
3. Jalapeño Popper Cheesecake: No graham cracker crust here. Instead this savory cake is baked atop buttery Ritz cracker crumbs. It’s bound to cause some head-scratching and wrinkled noses, but one bite will prove your genius. (via Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt)
4. Jalapeño Poppers With Mac and Cheese + Cheetos: Holy moly. Stuffing mac and cheese into jalapeños alone would be amazing, but a sprinkle of crushed up crunchy Cheetos makes these poppers almost too good to be true. (via Foodness Gracious)
5. Jalapeño Popper Chicken Taquitos: Serve up these shredded chicken taquitos as an app or meal — they work equally well either way. (via Love Bakes Good Cakes)
6. Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Pork Chops: Double down on the pork action by wrapping stuffed chops with a slice or two of the good stuff (that’d be bacon). Oozing with cheese and peppery goodness and basted with a sweet barbecue sauce, these are far from ho-hum. (via I Thee Cook)
7. Jalapeño Popper Pizza: A combo of cream cheese and mozzarella make this an extra special pie. With a few slices of crumbled bacon thrown in for good measure, it’s hard to stop eating slice after slice! (via Natural Chow)
8. Deviled Jalapeño Popper Eggs: With this recipe at hand, we’re one step closer to banishing boring deviled eggs for-ev-er. It’s a good thing. (via Improv Kitchen)
9. Cheeto-Crusted Jalapeño Poppers With Bacon: Utter popper perfection right here. The only change we might make is using Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in place of the regular sort when a little extra heat is in order. (via Food52)
10. Stuffed Jalapeño Popper Bacon Cheeseburgers: Amp up a seemingly ordinary cheeseburger with a hidden cream cheese and jalapeño stuffing — the flavor payoff is priceless. (via Shared Appetite)
11. Grilled Jalapeño Popper Dip: Charred jalapeños add a smokey depth to this creamy oven-baked dip. Don’t have access to a grill? No worries, you can achieve a similar roast-y effect on the stovetop. (via The Chic Table)
12. Crab and Cream Cheese Jalapeño Poppers: A playful fusion of jalapeño poppers and a couple popular sushi roll faves — California and Philadelphia — these “eel” and dynamite sauce-drizzled apps are out of this world. (via Life Tastes Like Food)
13. Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Mushrooms: If a whole jalapeño is too hot for you to handle, stuffing cheesy goodness flecked with a just smattering of peppers into mushrooms will tone things down a bit. (via Kitchen Simplicity)
14. Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili: Jalapeños give this tasty chili an extra bit of warmth, making it perfect for cool nights. (via Bev Cooks)
What’s your favorite way to enjoy this classic cheese and chile combo? Do you go classic or shake things up with a more inspired take? Let’s talk below!